Hear Hejira’s Symphonic Art-Rock Salvo ‘Pinter’

Matthew Herbert produces 'Prayer Before Birth' LP by unique London band

It seems impossible to imagine another band having Hejira’s sound, but when you consider the London quartet’s collective history, you better understand what makes them tick. Players Sam Beste, Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne, Alexis Nunez, and Alex Reeve boast incredible backgrounds, with ties to Chile, Hungary, Ethiopia, and Germany, and the list of projects they’ve contributed to is even more diverse: Tom Jones, Amy Winehouse, Nitin Sawhney, psych-pop oddball Connan Mockasin, and rap beat rule-breaker Eric Lau. Add to all of that the fact that their forthcoming album, Prayer Before Birth, was produced by electronic music iconoclast Matthew Herbert and, well, you get a thing like “Pinter.”

Streaming below, the song combines elements of prog and post-punk with ambient and jazz, landing at something symphonic in texture and scope. It’s no small feat and will be joined by a handful of other highlights on October 21 when Herbert’s Accidental Records releases Prayer Before Birth.